Professional Documents
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Operator Training
Facilitator's Guide
2017 Optim Learning Solutions. All rights reserved.
Table of Contents
Content Introduction
The PJ Enterprises Telephone Operator Training Course is intended for Telephone Operators (TOs) and
Customer Service Supervisors (CSSs). This training course will equip them with the knowledge and
skills they need to use the Product Guide and call scripts, and how to handle a range of customer call
situations ranging from routine to difficult.
Audience Description
The audience for this course consists of TOs and Customer Service Supervisors (CSSs) at PJ
Enterprises. TOs share the following characteristics:
Age: Between 1860, with most under 35 or over 55
Gender: Female
Education: All have high-school diplomas or GEDs. A few have completed some college, but
none have a college degree.
Experience: Levels of experience vary. Most have limited customer service experience. Some
have little prior work experience.
CSSs are former telephone operators who achieved a level of success in their prior role with PJ
Enterprises. These supervisors may also attend the training at some point so they can assist in
facilitation. They also need to know the company's customer service approach as well as how to use the
new Product Guide. They can also help you during the course with roleplays and assessments. With the
exception of tenure at PJ Enterprises, the backgrounds of CSSs are similar to that of TOs.
This information was current at the time of writing (April 2017) and will be modified as needed in
future updates. However, if you are running this course at a later date, it is advisable to confirm whether
these characteristics are still correct before beginning your course. A significant change in audience
characteristics might require a change in your approach to the material.
Training Environment
This course involves two types of training environments. For all topics relating to using call scripts and
handling different types of calls, any standard kind of room will suffice. However, when running the
Product Guide portion of the course, you will need an environment with computer workstations.
Currently, PJ Enterprises has a training room with 15 workstations available. When the number of
trainees exceeds the number of workstations, you will have to arrange for trainees to rotate usage so that
everyone has ample opportunities for practice.
Timeline
This training course should take approximately four (4) hours to complete, excluding time for breaks
and lunch. Use the guidelines in the table on the next page to conduct the course. All times are
approximate and should be adjusted to meet the needs of learners and to adapt to the training
environment. The blank schedule below is provided to help you map your training day.
Note that the course allows for 55 minutes for certification and evaluation. PJ Enterprises requires TOs
to obtain certification. Managing the time throughout the training course is very important. While you
do want to allow the learners enough time to master the content, you don't want to keep them late if you
can avoid it, nor do you want the certification process to be rushed. A few minutes might be shaved off
the lunch hour if you find that more time is needed for the content. However, give learners enough time
to return refreshed and ready to perform.
Preparation Checklist
Use these lists to guide your preparation for your training course. Some tasks should be done the week
before the class and others on the day of the class.
On Class Day
Gather and prepare supplies:
o Instructor computer
o Facilitator's Guide
o Participant's Guides
o Evaluation sheets
o Attendance list
o List of attendees with position (Telephone Operator or Customer Service Supervisor)
o Name tags and marker
o Any products sold by PJ Enterprises that you plan to use in the classroom as props
o Paper, pens, and other supplies participants may wish to use during the course
o Timer for use during timed exercises and the final assessment
Visit and prepare classroom:
o Make sure all equipment is correctly setup and operational.
o For each participant, place the following at his/her place:
Name tag
Learner Guide
Paper
Pens
Any other materials you want participants to have at the start of the course
o Note the level of light in the room and the temperature, adjusting both to a comfortable
level.
o Have drinks and snacks set out for participants.
Training Tips
This training course makes heavy use of role playing activities as well as audio files for covering
different types of calls that learners may receive in the course of their work. On one hand, this is a
strong positive because this is more engaging than passive activities such as reading text. However,
people may sometimes take their roles a little too far, exaggerating their situations in ways that are fun
for learners but not based in real world experience.
Allowing a role play to stray into the realm of the ridiculous is one way to keep learners entertained and
engaged with the material; however, as the facilitator you must know when to draw them back to the
practical side of things. After all, everyone will have to obtain certification at the end of the course so
that they can achieve the required certification. This should not be used as a stick with which to threaten
Tell: This course was designed to make your job easier! The
purpose of this training is to teach the skills needed to
TOs that the course was access and use the Product Guide, improve customer
designed to make their satisfaction scores, achieve consistent call performance,
jobs easier. decrease call times, and increase your sales.
TOs this training will The Training course will provide opportunity to
teach them the skills practice the skills presented in each lesson and allow
needed to access and use you to improve overall customer satisfaction and reach
the Product Guide, the sales targets set by PJ Enterprises for 2017.
improve customer
satisfaction scores, achieve
consistent call
performance, decrease call
times, and increase your
sales.
TOs that they will get a
chance to practice the
skills they learn in each
lesson.
Introduction
Tell: TOs that they now know how
to use the call scripts, we will now Introduction to Lesson 2
learn about the new PJ Enterprises Now that you know how to use the PJ Call scripts, we
Product Guide. will move into how to find products and product
information using the newly updated Product Guide.
Tell: TOs that we will next watch a Access the Product Guide
video on the capabilities of the Locate product information by product code or
update Product Guide. keyword in less than 1 minute.
Now, lets take a look at the capabilities of the new
Product Guide that will make your job easier!
Product search box Now let's look at the product search functions.
Featured products
Product directory
Tell: TOs to: A customer calls telling you that her favorite wind
chimes broke in a storm, and she would like to order
Type #55073 into the another set. She tells you that the product code is
Product Guide search box. #55073. What do you find when you enter that code?
Click the Product Guide
Search button
Tell: TOs that there is a larger The "Owl Always Love You" figurine was made in
picture on the next page of their China.
Participant Guide Were you able to find it?
Introduction
Tell: TOs that now that they know
how to handle a customer return Introduction
call, they will learn how to handle Now that you have learned about initiating a customer
irate customer calls. return call, lets talk about those irate customers. Weve
all gotten them, and sometimes those situations can be
very difficult.
Explain: that sometimes those
situations can be very difficult.
Explain: the LSCPA model is what It is what we are going to cover today to help you deal
will be covered in the lesson. It is with these irate customer situations.
the model they will use to handle Irate customers may sound like they are angry at us. It
those irate customer situations is important not to take things personally. They are
going forward. really just seeking a solution to a problem.
As TOs, we are the face (or voice) of the company to
Remind: TOs that they are the face customers.
of PJ to customers. While they While we may want to disagree with a customer, what if
may feel they know the answer, or we stepped back for a moment?
disagree with the customers, they
What if we put ourselves on the customers side of the
need to step back and use the
phone and really listened to their concern? What if we
model to work through those
stepped back and let them tell us how to satisfy them?
situations.
Tell: them several examples of When did you notice the product was damaged?
how to show they are listening to a Can you tell me more about it?
customer.
Tell: them some examples of how So youre really saying you just want a new
they might paraphrase a concern one. Is that correct?
back to a customer. So if we could get a different shirt out to you
tomorrow, everything would be okay?
In other words, you still want to purchase it if
we can fix the problem, is that right?
Remind: them that they can impact The LSCPA model flows very effortlessly from one
step to the next. It should feel like any conversation.
a positive outcome and stay in
control. Remember, you can positively impact the outcome by
maintaining control of the call using the model.
Explain: that it is okay to revisit If a customer is still not satisfied, it is fine to move back
any of the steps if needed during through the model and revisit any of the steps, as
the conversation to gain clarity. necessary.
Know that no matter how difficult a situation, you are
showing empathy and demonstrating caring and
Tell: them that no matter how goodwill toward our valuable customers. You are
difficult the call, they are helping ensuring that the customer feels better doing business
customers feel better about the with PJ Enterprises.
company.
Here is a handout about the steps of LSCPA which you
can keep for reference.
Give: them the LSCPA handout
Explain: the role play scenario and We are going to break into groups and practice using
how the teams will be divided up. the model.
TOs will participate in a triad role play exercise
that includes the roles of customer, TO, and
Explain: that when they are observer.
finished playing one role after 5
minutes, they need to play the next TOs will role play handling an irate customer
role; i.e.TO, Customer, or using the LSPCA model.
Observer. One participant will play the Customer, one the
TO and the third participant will be an observer.
Instruct: the observer to use the The TO playing the Customer will use one of
assessment checklist to mark off the Irate Customer call scenarios supplied in the
each step of LSCPA as it is used handout.
with their comments. The observer will use a checklist to identify if
the learner successfully uses each part of the
LSCPA model.
Note: Irate Customer Calls Role
Play Questions handout and After 5 minutes, the role play will end and TOs will
grading checklists are in Appendix switch roles. Does anyone have any questions?
A.
Instructions:
Choose one of the irate customer scenarios from the list below.
One of your peers in the triad will play the irate customer in that scenario.
Use LSCPA in your role as the TO to handle the customer concern.
The observer will use a checklist to document your use of LSCPA.
Switch roles after 5 minutes.
2. An irate customer complains that the ordered item got there too late for a birthday.
5. Customer called before and was told that the product is out of stock.
7. Customer says the quality of this product is horrible and not what it seems in the
description or photo.
Give: each person two copies of Now I'll read over the grading checklist and make sure
the grading checklist. you understand each area on the checklist. Please ask any
questions you may have.
Demonstrate: the TO role and ask I will now briefly demonstrate the assessment process in
someone to pretend to be a a triad to model using a provided scenario.
customer. Show how you would You should each face one call from the first column
handle the call. (Scenarios #1) in the first round and one call from the
second column (Scenarios #2) in the second round.
Customer says the product is too small or is An irate customer was mailed the wrong
smaller than it looks in the photo. product.
Customer says the product is the wrong color, or An irate customer complains that the ordered
the color looks different than the photo. item got there too late for a birthday.
Customer is looking for something with hearts Customer is irate because the product arrived
on it for his/her partners birthday or Valentine's damaged.
day but only offers vague suggestions ("I don't
know, something for the bedroom wall or
dresser I guess?").
Customer's grandmother collects owls. Customer claims that he/she was overcharged
Customer can't find the catalog but knows she for a product.
likes your stuff.
An item appeared in last year's catalog but not Customer calls and is told that the product is out
in this year's. Customer wants help finding of stock, so they want help finding something
something similar. similar.
Customer wants to return a product because, Customer ordered a product three weeks ago
"It's just not what I was looking for." and it never arrived.
Customer describes a product from memory Customer says the quality of this product is
without catalog using vague language. horrible and not what it seems in the description
or photo.
Customer tries to get a sale price on something Customer used this product for 6 months and
that is no longer on sale. then it broke.
Demonstrator (D) (instructor) will handle the irate customer using LSCPA.
Instructions:
Choose one of the irate customer scenarios from the list below.
One of your peers in the triad will play the irate customer in that scenario.
Use LSCPA in your role as the TO to handle the customer concern.
The observer will use a checklist to document your use of LSCPA.
Switch roles after 5 minutes.
2. An irate customer complains that the ordered item got there too late for a birthday.
5. Customer called before and was told that the product is out of stock.
7. Customer says the quality of this product is horrible and not what it seems in the description
or photo.
8. Customer used this product for six months and then it broke.
Scenarios #1 Scenarios #2
Customer says the product is too small or is An irate customer was mailed the wrong product.
smaller than it looks in the photo.
Customer says the product is the wrong color, or An irate customer complains that the ordered
the color looks different than the photo. item got there too late for a birthday.
Customer is looking for something with hearts on Customer is irate because the product arrived
it for his/her partners birthday or Valentine's day damaged.
but only offers vague suggestions ("I don't know,
something for the bedroom wall or dresser I
guess?").
Customer's grandmother collects owls. Customer Customer claims that he/she was overcharged for
can't find the catalog but knows she likes your a product.
stuff.
An item appeared in last year's catalog but not in Customer calls and is told that the product is out
this year's. Customer wants help finding of stock, so they want help finding something
something similar. similar.
Customer wants to return a product because, "It's Customer ordered a product three weeks ago and
just not what I was looking for." it never arrived.
Customer describes a product from memory Customer says the quality of this product is
without catalog using vague language. horrible and not what it seems in the description
or photo.
Customer tries to get a sale price on something Customer used this product for 6 months and
that is no longer on sale. then it broke.